Love & Redemption
Chapter 105: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 12 Fleeing in Secrecy

Chapter 105: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 12 Fleeing in Secrecy

The third watch.

Let us pray together for the people in the disaster area, hoping they stay strong and brave to safely overcome this calamity.

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During dinner, Zhong Minyan saw Xuanji enthusiastically chew a piece of the ginger she hated most, tossing the meat aside as if it were the ginger, and then slowly nibbling on her bowl as though it were delicious white rice.

He quietly tugged at Yu Sifeng’s sleeve and whispered, "What’s wrong with her? Did she argue with Master again?"

Yu Sifeng shook his head without saying a word, steadily reached out with his chopsticks to pick up a chili he usually detested, and tossed it into his mouth with composure.

Both of them had gone mad. Zhong Minyan was thoroughly baffled.

Opposite him, Duanping suddenly laughed and said, "Speaking of which, we’ve been on Fuyu Island for two days now. How come we haven’t seen that famous Dual Swordsmanship pair? What were their names... Pian Pian and Yu Ning, right?"

Upon hearing these two names, Xuanji choked on her rice, coughed violently, and her face turned bright red.

The earnest-looking Duan Zheng passed a cup of water to Xuanji before saying, "They have their own matters to attend to, they aren’t just decorations for you to look at."

He doesn’t know! He definitely doesn’t know what’s on Yu Ning’s mind! Xuanji thought to herself as she looked down and sipped her water, feeling sorry for Yu Ning.

"Ah, you can’t put it that way. Duan Zheng, you do have a connection with them after all, at least they should come by to greet you," Duanping teased with a suggestive look that hinted, "Isn’t that young lady quite something? Why don’t you make a move?"

Duan Zheng seriously responded, "Competing and getting injured are common in martial arts, what connection are you talking about? We’ve never exchanged a single word from start to finish, so where does this connection come from? By your logic, fighting with someone once means having a connection, but who remembers that?"

Such pretense! After being injured by Yu Ning, he was clearly furious, and now he’s acting all magnanimous. Duanping rolled his eyes at him and stayed silent.

Xuanji was still thinking, how could they have not exchanged a single word? At that time, Yu Ning had injured his wrist, and he even brought medicine. That counts as...saying something, right? Uh...even saying "Thank you" should count as speaking.

After a chaotic dinner, everyone returned to their rooms, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. As Zhong Minyan was about to leave, his sleeve was suddenly tugged, and Yu Sifeng gave him a knowing look. He immediately understood and laughed, "Oh, come to think of it, we haven’t played cards in a long time. The other day, I saw a nice set of imitation jade dominoes in town, so I bought it. How about it, want to play a few rounds?"

Cards? Xuanji was a bit slow to react. When had they played cards? She couldn’t remember.

Ruo Yu readily agreed, and the three of them turned around and smiled at her. Xuanji suddenly caught on and quickly said with a smile, "Good, good! Last time I lost three maces of silver to you, this time I must win it back!"

Zhong Minyan scoffed, "Dream on, little girl! You’ll need another hundred years to win against me!"

The four of them ran into Zhong Minyan’s room, laughing and ready to play cards. The Fuyu Island disciples, who had followed them blankly all day, seeing that they had no intention to leave the island, silently resented their master for giving them such a boring job. They also became somewhat lax, slowly following behind and squatting by the door to chat idly.

Coincidentally, Zhong Minyan had indeed bought a set of bone cards. The four gathered around the table, shuffling loudly. Suddenly, Xuanji whispered, "I...I don’t know how to play cards."

Zhong Minyan, with a muffled voice, said, "Dumb...just make a show of it. Just play any card."

After saying this, he took out his purse, poured out two ingots and five maces worth of silver, and pushed them forward with a grin, "Come on, if we’re going to gamble, let’s do it right! Put down the money!"

He was doing this on purpose! Xuanji helplessly watched him, knowing full well she didn’t know how to play, yet he still brought out so much money, obviously trying to make a quick buck. She had no choice but to put down an ingot of silver on the table, clumsily arranging her cards.

Zhong Minyan was about to roll the dice when Xuanji suddenly clapped her hands and laughed, "I know this one! Straight flush of one suit! I win!"

As she spoke, she pushed forward her cards, all of the same suit. Zhong Minyan was shocked, and the dice in his hands dropped to the floor with a thud. Indeed, they say never take a beginner lightly; in her first game, she achieved a ’heavenly hand’! The two ingots and five maces of silver had barely cooled down before becoming hers.

The Fuyu Island disciples were sitting outside, dispirited. All they could hear from inside were shouts of "two circles, three stripes, seven characters, and red dragon," while they were stuck having a noisy card game inside, not knowing when they would stop, having to sit by the door all night without even being able to sleep.

Someone finally couldn’t hold back and took out dice from their sleeve, laughing, "Listening to them has made me itchy to play. How about we gamble a bit on the size?"

This suggestion immediately won everyone’s favor, and they simply gathered under the window, shouting big and small bets.

As they were engrossed in the game, they suddenly heard a slight sound on the windowsill, as if someone was opening the window to peek. Everyone quickly looked up, only to be met with a faintly scented breeze that immediately made their eyes tear up and softened their bones, and without even a grunt, they collapsed.

Zhong Minyan stuffed the small spray bottle of soft cake back into his sleeve and turned to signal, "They’re all down, let’s go!"

The group silently leaped out of the window and stealthily headed towards the northern slope. The main gates of Fuyu Island were guarded by countless disciples; it was impossible to expect to escape through there. Their only chance was to try their luck by swimming a distance in the sea and then flying away with Sword Control once they were beyond the reach of the sword net.

The northern slope, likely due to Manager Ouyang, also had many guard disciples stationed. Fortunately, the forest provided cover, and if one path was blocked, they could take another. After lots of twists and turns, they finally arrived at the shoreline. It was pitch-dark and utterly silent except for the rustling of the waves.

The group strapped their swords to their backs, rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, and were just about to jump down when they heard splashing sounds from the sea, as if something was swiftly swimming towards them.

Zhong Minyan quickly drew his sword and stepped back. Just as the creature reached the shore and gasped for air, he raised his sword to stab, but the dark shadow immediately sensed the danger, jumped high up with a swirl of salty spray.

"Ah! It’s you! I finally found you!" The shadow cheered, its voice tender and soft, sounding like a woman.

Zhong Minyan was about to stab again, but upon hearing her speak, he paused his sword. Everyone looked intently, only to see a wet, furry figure with large flapping ears and bright round eyes—it was actually a fox!

Xuanji, puzzled, said, "Uh... it’s you... how come..."

It was Zi Hu from Gao Mountain. Why had she come to Fuyu Island?

Zi Hu shook off the water vigorously and said urgently, "Don’t ask why, I had a hard time swimming here! It’s all because of that cursed sword net... I tell you, Ting Nu is missing! I can’t find him anywhere! He’s Merfolk and can’t walk; if some foolish soul catches him, with his tender heart, he wouldn’t hurt anyone... who knows what kind of torment he might suffer!"

Everyone was shocked. Zhong Minyan quickly asked, "How did you get separated? Weren’t you sheltering in a cave from the rain that day?"

Zi Hu sighed deeply, glaring fiercely at Xuanji, "It’s all because of this little girl! When Ting Nu saw your distress signal down the mountain, he wanted to help you. But as soon as he reached the base of the mountain, he encountered a group of fierce demons and before we could even speak, they released the Bi Fang Bird to set us on fire, and we had no choice but to jump into Hongze Lake for refuge. He’s Merfolk and adept in water; I’m not! Once in the water, the undercurrents swept me away to who knows where! When I finally got ashore, I couldn’t find Ting Nu at all... Earlier, when I heard you were coming to Fuyu Island, I thought it’s always better to look for him together... I, I barely managed to find my way here! Ting Nu... after helping you so much, you can’t just leave him!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Seeing their silence, Zi Hu grew frantic, swishing her large tail and exclaimed, "Are you really not going to help him?! That’s too heartless! I thought you were good people! If Ting Nu dies, I... I will definitely hold you accountable!"

After saying this, she couldn’t help but burst into tears—a fox crying, although tragic, was somehow rather comical.

Xuanji sighed and said softly, "Of course we won’t ignore him, but... we’re currently in a rush to find Buzhou Mountain."

She briefly explained the situation with Linglong and Chen Minjue. Zi Hu listened, then shook her ears proudly and laughed, "You’re wasting your time going there! Even I can’t be beaten by you, let alone those demons! Besides, they plan to break the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain to release that person, which only pleases me!"

Seeing everyone staring at her wordlessly, she suddenly realized her words were somewhat inappropriate for the occasion, and with a cough she added, "I’ve heard of the Soul Capturing Technique; indeed, just finding her two souls and six spirits and putting them back is enough. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll lead you to Buzhou Mountain, but as a payment, you’ll have to find Ting Nu first!"

Zhong Minyan asked urgently, "You know how to get to Buzhou Mountain?!"

Zi Hu laughed, "Of course, I used to play there often when I was little! However, the gate to the Netherworld is guarded by Shen Tu and Yu Lei at the mountain top, and nobody can get close. Just avoid that spot, and I can guide you anywhere else."

Hearing this, Zhong Minyan was moved, "Shen Tu and Yu Lei?! Are there really gods guarding there? I thought... I’ve always thought... that it was just a legend."

Zi Hu gave him a pitying look as if saying "You’re really ignorant" in her tender voice: "Mortals, mere mortals, you can’t see anything beyond yourselves. Don’t mention Shen Tu and Yu Lei; every mountain has its own Mountain God or Earth God. Kunlun Mountain is even the garden under the sky used by the Heavenly Emperor, filled with immortals. You can see anytime you want, but let’s first find Ting Nu. Once we find him, I’ll lead you to Buzhou Mountain. It won’t take long, just half a day’s journey by Sword Control."

Xuanji was the first to roll up her trouser legs and jump into the sea. The ice-cold water made her shiver, and she turned back to wave at them: "Come on! Let’s find Ting Nu!" (To be continued. To discover what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)